Satellite NBN customers can now get cheaper unlimited data plans

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 01 December 2023

Australians connecting to the NBN via satellite now have more options when it comes to unlimited data plans.

NBN Co is restructuring its Sky Muster Plus Premium offering, effectively splitting it out into three tiers: entry, mid, and high.

The high-tier option replaces current Sky Muster Plus Premium plans, and offers unlimited data with speeds of up to 100Mbps and typical evening speeds of 48Mbps. NBN providers typically charge around $99 per month for this plan, which undercuts Starlink.

The mid-tier Sky Muster Plus Premium plan is effectively an NBN 50 plan. Download speeds are capped at 50Mbps, with anticipated typical evening speeds of 31Mbps. Southern Phone is billing $70 per month for this plan, and we'd expect other providers to charge a similar amount.

Lastly, the entry-tier Sky Muster Plus Premium plan maxes out at 25Mbps with anticipated typical evening speeds of 16Mbps. Southern Phone is charging $55 per month for this plan.

We're expecting to see other providers start offering these plans shortly.

These changes could remove a lot of the complexity from satellite NBN plans. To date, most satellite NBN plans have had a fixed download allowance that's split into peak and off-peak usage. Unlimited data removes that consideration entirely. Southern Phone has already replaced its entire range of satellite NBN plans with the three new Sky Muster Plus Premium options.

Looking further forward, NBN Co's planned upgrades to the fixed wireless network will allow approximately 120,000 satellite customers to switch technology types due to an expanded footprint. This will also free up extra capacity for customers still using satellite. These enhancements are expected to be in place by the end of 2024.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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